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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27193957">Two Burning Hearts</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dorkythoughts/pseuds/dorkythoughts'>dorkythoughts</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Love in the Time of Covid [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>British Actor RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 16:34:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>16,029</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27193957</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dorkythoughts/pseuds/dorkythoughts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After meeting during a time when the world was in total lockdown, Brooke Harris and Henry Cavill are facing the next challenge to their relationship: transitioning back to normal life. Will they be able to cope with the changes they’re facing or will they fall apart once they leave the idyllic peace of isolation that they had in Jersey?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Henry Cavill/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Love in the Time of Covid [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1976800</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>78</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is the sequel to Light After Dark so if you haven't read that yet then please do before starting this story or you'll be very confused!<br/>Thank you so much to everyone for their support so far. I'm very excited to continue this story and I'm super grateful for all the kudos and lovely comments 😊</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>July. 25. 2020</b>
</p><p>Change.</p><p>It’s a hard thing to accept and a scary thing to implement.</p><p>So it was probably for the best that there were only two full days between the time when I decided to return to England with Henry and the time when we left.</p><p>The prospect of staying on Jersey indefinitely was anxiety inducing. The lack of productivity, the general stagnation of life with no ending in sight. But there was a certain amount of comfort to it. Sure, it wasn’t a sustainable way for any of us to live long term, but despite all the uncertainty that lockdown brought, it had been nice.</p><p>It had been nice having an excuse to take a step back, to take some time to catch up and bond with family, to enjoy living day to day without any major responsibilities lurking in the background. Despite the devastating losses that led to my arrival on the island months before and the feeling of dread that I had experienced at the time, I knew that it had become a period of my life that I would always hold close to my heart.</p><p>I was excited to go to London and getting everything organized had been so hectic that I hadn’t much time to dwell on what I’d be missing, but when it came time to say goodbye, it was harder than I’d expected. I cried, my mum cried, my dad managed to just barely hold back his tears, Cassie cried despite the fact that I’d probably see her long before I was able to see my parents again and Molly bluntly informed the group that she wasn’t sad at all because if she had to go back to England then she wanted me to go back to England as well. Her attitude earned a laugh from the group and broke the heavy atmosphere a little bit, but I still left teary and feeling a bit melancholy.</p><p>I did perk up though once we got to the private jet that was waiting for us at the airport. I’d never flown anything other than commercial before, and never in first class, so the whole experience was luxurious and dazzling and left me thoroughly distracted from the sadness of my painful goodbyes. The fancy bottle of champagne that Henry had brought for us celebrate this new chapter of our lives with definitely helped too.</p><p>My excitement bubbled up even more as we came into London, the beautiful skyline visible from the plane. It hit me how much I’d missed the city that had been my home for almost as long as I could remember and my relief at returning only solidified my confidence in my decision to come with Henry. We wouldn’t be in the actual city while he was filming as they wanted everyone close to the studio in Dorking, but it wasn’t nearly as far as Jersey and I was sure I could squeeze in a few trips up to see Cassie on occasion.</p><p>Luckily, since we were only coming from Jersey, we didn’t face a mandatory quarantine when we arrived. After getting tested, we would have to isolate for fourteen days before filming just to be sure the results were accurate before anyone got to set, but for now we were able to travel about freely which was a blessing considering most of my stuff was in storage at Cassie’s house. Henry needed to pick up a few extra things from his place as well so, after a quick stop there, we headed off to visit my very socially starved brother-in-law, Josh.</p><p>Cassie and I were close which meant that Josh and I were as well. He easily fell into a brotherly role in my life and knowing that he’d been struggling lately with the stress of his job as a paramedic and the lack of support he had without his family around made me all the more excited to see him. We cautiously masked up, as I was still vulnerable with my asthma and his job put him at a high risk of exposure, and I knocked on the door. It took less than a minute for it to swing open and Josh’s voice to fill my ears.</p><p>“Cookie!” He cheered, waving his arms in the air wildly. “It’s <em>so</em> good to see you!”</p><p>“It’s so good to see you too!” I grinned. “But it’s killing me that I can’t hug you.”</p><p>“I know what you mean,” He agreed. “It never gets easier. It just doesn’t feel right greeting people the way we have to these days, but with your pathetic lungs it’s just not worth the risk.</p><p>"Well, I’ll have you know that these pathetic lungs helped me finally lure in a decent man so I’m almost grateful to have them,” I informed him, referring to how Henry and I met by crashing into each other on the path, triggering an asthma attack from me. “Josh, this is Henry Cavill. Henry, this is my brother-in-law, Josh.”</p><p>They waved, the usual handshake they would have exchanged no longer allowed, but Josh quickly broke the slight awkwardness of the greeting.</p><p>“It’s nice to meet you, mate. Honestly, I thought Cassie was taking the piss when she told me who Brooke was dating, but then she snuck a picture of the two of you at some barbecue and I was shocked. Must not be many options on Jersey, I guess.”</p><p>“Hey!” I protested. “That’s not very nice.”</p><p>Henry chuckled at his words, but shook his head.</p><p>“I didn’t need any options,” He insisted. “I was head over heels for Brooke from the moment we met.”</p><p>“So, you’re just nuts then?” Josh teased, the smirk clear in his voice despite the mask covering his face. “It would be too good to be true if you were handsome, smart and sane.”</p><p>Henry chuckled again, but I glared playfully with my hands on my hips.</p><p>“This is why we left him behind,” I informed Henry as it was Josh’s turn to voice his protests. “No one wanted to be trapped on Jersey with such an arse.”</p><p>“Oh, Cookie, you missed me and you know it,” Josh laughed earning an exaggerated roll of my eyes. “Now, how are my girls doing?”</p><p>His eyes lit up at the thought of his wife and child and it melted my heart. I couldn’t imagine what it was like for him, spending almost five months alone in London without them.</p><p>“They’re doing great,” I assured him. “After Molly’s little runaway attempt the other day, she’s come around to the idea of coming home. They’ve both missed you a lot so I think seeing you will ease the transition for her.”</p><p>“I know it’s been hard on her,” He nodded. “And I know it’s been hard on Cassie being basically a single parent, but we both massively appreciate how much you’ve helped her. Molly’s loved all the quality time with you and I think that knowing you were coming back too helped ease her concerns about it.”</p><p>“I think you’re right about that,” Henry piped up. “She kept winking at me while we were saying goodbye this morning, I think she thinks I was conspiring with her to get you here.”</p><p>I hadn’t noticed her doing it, but it was a very Molly thing to do and Josh and I laughed.</p><p>“That sounds like my Molly,” Josh agreed. “She’s the star of the show, everyone’s motivations are just to suit her.”</p><p>“I think most children think the world revolves around them,” I smiled. “But she’s done well with all the chaos. She never kicked up a fuss or complained about doing school online or going so long without seeing her friends. She’s a good kid.”</p><p>“She is,” Josh smiled. “I’m very proud of her, she’s been very strong.”</p><p>“So have you and Cassie,” I pointed out. “It takes a lot to make that sacrifice and be apart for so long to keep Molly safe.”</p><p>Josh nodded, but a sigh fell from his lips.</p><p>“I just hope we’re doing the right thing by bringing her home.”</p><p>He looked so conflicted, it took everything in me to keep two metres away and not give him a hug or at least a comforting squeeze of his hand.</p><p>“You’re doing the best that you can,” I assured him. “No one has all the answers, you just have to do what feels right.”</p><p>“That is very true,” He smiled. “What’s next for you two then?”</p><p>“We’re heading down to Dorking,” Henry answered. “The production company is putting everyone up in that area so we can be close to the studios for filming.”</p><p>“That’s smart,” Josh nodded. “It’s safer to keep everyone out of the city these days especially if you’ll be working most of the time anyway.”</p><p>“Exactly,” Henry agreed. “We’re lucky to have a very caring, responsible crew, but it’s better to keep everyone sequestered at the moment. They’ll be testing us twice a week, but all it takes is one person making the wrong choice so it’s best to just remove the temptation all together.”</p><p>“Especially when you have this weak little thing waiting at home for you.”</p><p>Josh rolled his eyes as he spoke and he gestured to me, but his tone made me think that his words, while joking, were a stern reminder to Henry of my condition. Henry didn’t miss a beat though as he nodded in agreement.</p><p>“Absolutely. I’ll be extra careful, but the show means a lot to everyone involved and any sign of the virus could get it shut down completely so I have no doubts that everyone will take it seriously and do their part to keep us all safe.”</p><p>“That’s what I like to hear!” Josh’s eyes lit up as he smiled. “I bet you’re eager to get on your way though so I’ll grab your boxes quickly. It was just the three of them, yeah?”</p><p>“Yeah,” I nodded, feeling an unexpected comfort at the thought of having all my possessions back again. “Thank you so much for storing them for me.”</p><p>“You’re welcome,” Josh shouted before appearing in the doorway with two of the three boxes. “Honestly, I’ve been working so much that I’ve hardly been home long enough to even notice them.”</p><p>I went to take the boxes, but Henry waved me off and lifted them with ease before heading off to the car.</p><p>“Cassie said that you’re taking some time off when they get home?” I asked as he came back with the last box. “That’ll be a nice break for you.”</p><p>“Yeah, I’m looking forward to that. It’s been a long and busy few months, a couple of weeks off is just what I need.”</p><p>I scooped the box before Henry had chance and smiled at Josh.</p><p>“You deserve it,” I told him. “Honestly, this entire country is forever in debt to the frontline workers like you. You’re a star.”</p><p>“Oh, you know,” Josh shrugged. “It’s all in a days work.”</p><p>“It’s been more than you signed up for these last few months though.”</p><p>“It has,” He agreed as Henry walked back towards us. “But anyway, I’ll let you two lovebirds set off. Thanks for stopping by, it’s been lovely to see you. I’m glad you’re home, Brooke. Feel free to come over anytime.”</p><p>“I will,” I promised, finding it hard to leave him here alone. Luckily, it was only a week until Cassie and Molly would be home. “Feel free to pop down to Dorking too if you want a change of scenery.”</p><p>“We might just take you up on that offer,” He smiled. “And, Henry, it was great to meet you. Take care of our girl, alright?”</p><p>“Definitely,” Henry assured him with a wave. “And it was great to meet you too.”</p><p>I stepped back towards Henry and he plucked the box from my arms before I could even protest.</p><p>“See you soon, Josh,” I shouted back, waving as we walked away. “Love you!”</p><p>He shouted the same in response before heading back into the house.</p><p>Once we got the boxes all sorted and organized in the car in a way that left Kal with enough wiggle room, we got in ourselves.</p><p>“Can we make one more stop?” I asked feeling a bit nervous as I clicked my seat belt into place. “It’s not far from here and we don’t have to stay long.”</p><p>Henry looked surprised as I hadn’t mentioned this at all before when we were planning our route, but it had been on my mind since I knew I would be back in London.</p><p>“Where would you like to go?”</p><p>“Lola’s grave,” I told him, hoping he wouldn’t find it too strange. “I used to visit at least once a month and it’s been quite a while now.”</p><p>There was no need to explain myself though, Henry agreed to it right away.</p><p>“Of course we can,” He smiled. “Just tell me where to go.”</p><p>I relaxed at his eager response and rattled off a list of directions.</p><p>****</p><p>The walk from the cemetery parking lot to Lola’s grave felt different. Not necessarily awkward as Henry was fully on board and supportive of the idea, but I wasn’t used to visiting her with company. He’d offered to stay in the car, but I wanted to him come. I wanted to share this part of my world with him.</p><p>Kal trotted along beside us as I knew it was a pretty long drive down to Dorking and thought he would like to stretch his legs, but I also knew that Lola loved big dogs and that Kal would have been a hit with her. Even with the dog stopping to sniff things every few steps, we got to her grave fairly quickly and I was pleased to see that despite the chaos of the world right now, there were still fresh flowers at her grave.</p><p>“Don’t judge me for this, okay?” I asked Henry. “I always talk to her. I know she’s not really there and it’s kinda weird, but it helps.”</p><p>“There’s no judgement here,” Henry assured me, a frown on his face at me even thinking he wouldn’t support me in this. “I’m happy to be here, I’m happy you want to share this with me.”</p><p>I nodded nervously, feeling a lump in my throat. I wanted Henry to be here, but it did make me feel more apprehensive about the whole thing. I used to sit here for hours telling Lola all my problems, just like I did when she was alive, but showing that to Henry, as much as I wanted to, made me feel very vulnerable. I took a few minutes to compose my thoughts, but just as I took a deep breath to start talking, Henry beat me to it.</p><p>“Hi Lola,” He smiled as I looked up at him shocked at him taking the initiative to start the conversation. “We never had the pleasure of meeting, but from everything that Brooke has told me, I think we would have gotten along excellently. Brooke has been quite the light of my life lately. I’m sure that you can see, from wherever you are, what a state the world is in, but all the stress and uncertainty led me to her so I can’t help, but feel grateful. I’m sure that you’re watching us and I’m sure that if you were here you’d hear all the ins and outs of our relationship, our arguments or the times that I’ve foolishly not treated Brooke as well as I should, but I hope you know that I have fallen hopelessly in love with your friend and I will do everything that I can to make sure she knows how much I care for her every day.”</p><p>I was listening to Henry’s little speech, feeling my heart warm at this willingness to talk to my friend’s grave, but when those last words left his mouth, I felt my jaw drop.</p><p>“You’re in love with me? Are you sure?”</p><p>A chuckle fell from his lips at my shocked inquiry, but I wasn’t at all expecting to hear those words.</p><p>“I am,” He nodded. “And I am sure. I wouldn’t have asked you to come back to London with me if I didn’t have such strong feelings for you.”</p><p>A smile slid onto my face as I slid my hand into Henry’s and squeezed it gently.</p><p>“I love you too.”</p><p>Henry grinned at that admission and leaned down to press a soft kiss on my lips.</p><p>“I didn’t mean to distract you from your time with Lola, but after everything that happened last weekend, I’ve been trying to find a time to tell you.”</p><p>“You’re not distracting,” I assured him. “Lola would love it and I appreciate that you were even willing to talk to her like that. I know it’s a bit odd, Cassie always thought it was morbid that I like to come here, but it makes me feel connected.”</p><p>“I understand. You have to find things that help you grieve and if coming here makes it easier for you than that’s all that matters.”</p><p>“It does make it easier,” I nodded. “See, Lola? I finally found someone who was worth waiting for. All those nights you teased me for avoiding men in bars and rolled your eyes when I uninstalled dating apps. It was worth all the lonely nights because I found something that’s actually real.”</p><p>I looked up at Henry and flashed him a smile before leaning on his shoulder and continuing.</p><p>“It’s been pretty mental the last few months though. I’m sorry I haven’t visited, but there’s a lung destroying virus out there so I had to hide out on Jersey with my parents for a few months. Things are opening up a bit more now, but cases are rising again so while I’m excited for all the new changes, I’m nervous too. I like to think that you’re up there watching over me though and you’ll help me however you can. Even just thinking about you usually helps me. You were always so brave and so strong so I try to be a bit bolder than I used to be in honour of you. It’s hard though.”</p><p>My voice started to waiver as tears filled my eyes, but I pushed on.</p><p>“I miss you like mad, Lola. But I like to think that maybe you had a hand in some of this. It would be so like you to make me physically collide with the hottest man on Jersey just to get me to talk to him,” I smiled through the tears as Henry chuckled beside me. “He’s been really amazing to have around these last few months so thank you, if it was your doing, because I’d be a very different person right now if I hadn’t met him.”</p><p>Henry cleared his throat beside me before joining the one-sided conversation again.</p><p>“However, if you did orchestrate this entire pandemic just to force the two of us together, your mission has been accomplished and you can stop it anytime now.”</p><p>“That’s a good point. Cut it out, Lola,” I laughed. “But anyway, I just wanted to stop by while we were around. I can see your parents have brought flowers recently so I’m glad you’ve not been completely abandoned. I’ll try to visit again soon, but we’re going down to Dorking so no promises. I still love you though and I think about you all the time.”</p><p>As was my tradition, I blew a kiss towards her headstone. We stood there quietly for a few moments until I sighed and looked up at Henry.</p><p>“Okay, we can go,” I smiled, feeling the usual knot in my stomach that I always felt when leaving. “Thank you for doing that. I know it’s weird, but it really means a lot.”</p><p>“It’s not weird,” Henry assured me again as we started to head back down the path towards the car. “It’s nice that you’ve found a way to connect with her still.”</p><p>“It is,” I agreed before smirking slightly. “And it tricked you into confessing that you love me so that’s nice too.”</p><p>Henry chuckled, but shook his head.</p><p>“It didn’t trick me into anything,” He insisted. “I really have been trying to find a way to tell you, but it felt like the wrong time. I didn’t want you to think that I was using it just to convince you to come with me.”</p><p>“I don’t think I would have thought that,” I admitted. “Last week, when I woke up after that amazing night we had, it was on the tip of my tongue. I almost said it then.”</p><p>Henry cringed at that information.</p><p>“And then I broke your heart instead.”</p><p>“You did,” I agreed with a soft laugh. “But you fixed it and that’s what matters.”</p><p>Henry used our joined hands to pull me close to him and leaned down to kiss the top of my head as we got to his car. All the sadness of saying goodbye to my family that morning had dissipated and I was perfectly content. It was a big step that we were taking and there was still a lot of uncertainty about what challenges the future would bring, but I had a feeling that with Henry by my side, I’d be able to tackle anything the world threw at me.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>July. 26. 2020</b>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <b>Lockdown Love for Superman?</b>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Henry Cavill, best known for his role as Superman and currently starring in Netflix’s The Witcher, seems to have found his own silver lining to this pandemic. The actor was spotted leaving Fulham Cemetery earlier today with a new brunette clutching his hand. Despite many of Cavill’s relationships being rather well-known, at least to his many adoring fans, he seems to prefer keeping his love life private with only one of his ex-girlfriends earning a spot on his Instagram feed. This is feat which this new love seems to have not yet earned, but his secrecy was no match for our expert sleuths and it took them no time at all to figure out the identity of his new graveyard belle.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>So, everyone meet: Brooke Harris, failed baker and avid wine drinker.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>According to her Instagram (@brookethebaker) she was the owner of Lola’s Bakery, a bakery that opened in January and closed in March. In her farewell post to the business, she claimed it was due to the lockdown, but perhaps it was just lack of popularity as no one from our team had ever heard of it. From then on it appears she was living on Jersey which is probably where she met Mr. Cavill who was also spending his isolation on the remote island.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>We assume they’re back in jolly old England so Henry can start filming season two of the Witcher, but no word on why the new couple were spending their day at a cemetery. Click the link below to see the pictures.</em>
</p>
<p>“Failed baker and avid wine drinker,” I mused as Henry walked into the kitchen, back from his workout at the same time I finished reading the article. “I might get that as a tattoo.”</p>
<p>Henry shot me an odd look as he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.</p>
<p>“Is everything okay?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” I nodded, torn about telling him what I’d been reading because I could already predict exactly how he’d react. He had a right to know our secret was out though so I fessed up. “I was just reading an article in the Daily Mirror that Cassie sent me. Turns out they spotted us at the cemetery yesterday and have already tracked down my identity. ‘Failed baker and avid wine drinker’ is how they chose to describe me after snooping on my Instagram.”</p>
<p>Henry frowned, the look on his face telling me immediately that his reaction would be exactly as I expected.</p>
<p>“You shouldn’t read that stuff,” He warned me. “It’s all just nonsense, they get paid to be needlessly cruel.”</p>
<p>“It’s not that bad,” I shrugged. “It kind of just feels passive aggressive. I mean, failed baker isn’t the most flattering description, but they used a nice picture of me at least.”</p>
<p>“It’s still best not to read any of it at all,” Henry insisted. “Or the comments. The comments tend to be even worse. My fans mean well, but they’re a little too invested in my love life sometimes.”</p>
<p>“It’s really okay,” I assured Henry, smiling at the worried look on his face. “I’m much thicker skinned than I seem. I’d prefer if people said nice things about me, but I can handle it if they don’t.”</p>
<p>Henry’s frown didn’t falter as he mulled over my words.</p>
<p>“Is your Instagram private?”</p>
<p>“No,” I shook my head. “And I gained about three hundred followers overnight so my plan of using you for your fame and status is working.”</p>
<p>My joke worked and a soft smile slid on Henry’s face.</p>
<p>“I knew it was too good to be true,” He sighed dramatically earning a smile from me. “Just be careful, okay? I know you’re strong and it’s not that I doubt you can handle criticism, but the gossip sites and people with nothing better to do can be very cruel.”</p>
<p>“I know,” I shrugged. “But it’s easier to ignore it when I know their motivations. Gossip sites just want to write whatever will get them the most clicks and petty people on Instagram are just jealous or upset that I’ve crushed their dreams of having you for themselves.”</p>
<p>“It’s sneaks up on you sometimes though,” Henry insisted. “Even if you know it’s wrong and you know why they’re saying it, reading enough bad things about yourself can get you down and I don’t want anyone making you think less of yourself.”</p>
<p>I smiled at his protective nature and nodded my head.</p>
<p>“I’ll be careful,” I promised. “I won’t go out of my way to read anything that people write about us.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Henry relaxed as he walked around the island and placed a kiss on the top of my head. “And you’re not a failed baker, but they did hit the nail on the head with 'avid wine drinker’.”</p>
<p>“I know!” I agreed with a laugh. “It’s embarrassing that they picked up on my love of wine from just a quick scroll through my Instagram.”</p>
<p>“A failure and a wino,” Henry sighed. “What a catch.”</p>
<p>“Hey now,” I giggled. “Lockdown has been tough for us all, the wine was a much needed comfort.”</p>
<p>“Alright, I’ll give you that,” Henry chuckled beside me as I slid my arms around his waist, his shirt still sweaty from his workout. Pulling him close, he leaned down and connected our lips.</p>
<p>I always loved how Henry was after he’d hit the gym. His muscles felt firm and big under his shirt from being pushed to their limits and he smelt so musky and so manly. It wasn’t a bad, stinky sweat smell as he seemed to think, it was just the smell of him, but more intensified. He was also even more physical than usual when he’d come back from an intense workout, the adrenaline he built up making him very eager and just a bit more rough than usual which led to plenty of satisfaction from me.</p>
<p>So I was surprised when he pulled away with a groan just as I nipped at his lip.</p>
<p>“We need to stop,” He told me, squeezing his eyes closed as he tried to reign himself in. “We have to be at the studio in forty-five minutes for our covid tests and I still need to shower.”</p>
<p>“Darn,” I pouted, reluctantly letting my arms drop from around him. “I guess you’ll have to make that a cold shower then.”</p>
<p>“Or,” Henry smirked. “You could join me.”</p>
<p>It was a tempting offer, but I shook my head with a laugh.</p>
<p>“No, we’ll be late if I do,” I pointed out. “And we’ll be late anyway if you don’t hurry up, so go.”</p>
<p>Henry groaned in protest, but reluctantly peeled himself away from my side before trudging off to get ready.</p>
<p>****</p>
<p>I felt the nerves hit me as we walked around to the back of the studio where the production company had set up the testing area. I was excited to meet the cast and crew who had become Henry’s good friends, but I was nervous as well. I wanted to make a good impression and since I’d had the luxury of getting to know Henry’s family on Jersey before we were together, this would be my first time meeting people who are important to Henry as his girlfriend.</p>
<p>“Oh, so the rumours are true,” A voice boomed as we headed towards the socially distanced groups of people. “Henry Cavill did find himself a lockdown love!”</p>
<p>I felt Henry chuckle beside me as he steered me towards the crowd that the voice came from.</p>
<p>“I’m surprised, Joey, I didn’t realize that you scoured the gossip sites for news about my love life.”</p>
<p>“No, need to scour,” The man, who I had puzzled out to be Joey Batey, replied. “I have a google alert for your name just to make sure I’m always up to date.”</p>
<p>“I’m not sure if I should be disturbed or flattered,” Henry mused. “But yes, the rumours are true. Everyone, this is Brooke. Brooke, this is Joey, Freya, Anya and Lauren. Lauren’s the show runner, but I think you can figure out the rest.”</p>
<p>“You’ve seen the show then?” Anya asked, her eyes lighting up with excitement. “What did you think?”</p>
<p>“I really liked it! It’s not what I would usually watch, but I was sucked in right from the first episode,” I told them before glancing up at Henry with a smirk that was hidden by my mask. “I mean, the role of Geralt could have been cast better, but I think the rest of you really compensated for that mistake.”</p>
<p>A shocked look appeared on everyone’s face and for a moment I thought maybe my joke didn’t land well with them, but the shock quickly turned to laughter.</p>
<p>“Oh, I like this one,” Joey chuckled as Henry squeezed my hand.</p>
<p>“Funny because I’m suddenly not so sure that I do,” He teased. “I’m starting to think that I should have left you at home.”</p>
<p>I giggled and shook my head, but Lauren piped up before I could answer.</p>
<p>“No, you definitely shouldn’t have,” She informed him. “Everyone has to get tested before we can start filming and I <em>really</em> want to start filming.”</p>
<p>There was a collective nod throughout the group and I felt a pang of sympathy for them. Everyone had struggled the last few months, but getting shut down when they had just started filming with no idea if it would be weeks or years until they could start again must have been hard.</p>
<p>“It’s nice to be back here again,” Henry smiled. “It’s very strange not being able to see anyone’s face, but it’s nice to return to some sort of normal.”</p>
<p>“It is. And hopefully,” Lauren held up her crossed fingers. “Things will get better and we can ditch the masks and constant testing soon.”</p>
<p>“I really appreciate the measures you’re taking though even if it’s inconvenient,” I piped up. “I have really bad asthma so the fact that you’re being so careful is the only reason it was safe for me to stay with Henry instead of hiding out on Jersey forever.”</p>
<p>Lauren’s eyes lit up as she smiled and shrugged.</p>
<p>“It’s the only sensible thing to do. I love this show and would do anything to get back to work, but it’s not worth doing it if we’re going to get everyone sick and possibly kill someone so we’ll do everything we can to stop that from happening.”</p>
<p>I returned her smile and Freya chimed in with her nineteen year old enthusiasm.</p>
<p>“So, it’s true? You met on Jersey while isolating?” She asked. “That’s so romantic! That’s definitely lockdown goals.”</p>
<p>Henry and I laughed as I leaned on his shoulder.</p>
<p>“I guess it is,” Henry humoured his young co-worker. “I knocked Brooke over when I was out for a run and the rest is history.”</p>
<p>“Always the gentleman,” Joey teased. “So, is it also true then that you’re a failed baker?”</p>
<p>“Joey.”</p>
<p>Henry’s tone was harsh and warning, but I squeezed his hand reassuringly as I laughed.</p>
<p>“I prefer to think that I’m a great baker, but a failed business woman,” I clarified. “I can bake just fine, but I foolishly opened a bakery in January so when the pandemic hit, I didn’t have enough success behind me to stay open.”</p>
<p>“That’s hardly your fault,” Lauren pointed out. “Plenty of well established businesses have been forced to close permanently and there was no way to know what was coming.”</p>
<p>“I know,” I shrugged. “But I was still pretty gutted.”</p>
<p>Before anyone could comment, a gasp came from Anya.</p>
<p>“Oh my gosh, you’re the one who made that Superman cake for Henry’s birthday, aren’t you?” She asked making me smile as I nodded. “That was amazing! I was going to ask him to give me the bakery information to get a cake for my mum’s birthday, but I figured it would be on Jersey so there’d be no point.”</p>
<p>“No, it was me,” I confirmed, feeling a sense of pride at her excitement about my work. “Has your mum’s birthday passed? I’d be happy to make something for you.”</p>
<p>“Oh, would you? It’s not until next month, but she’d love it! Especially since we can’t have a big party this year.”</p>
<p>“Absolutely,” I smiled. “Just make a note of some things that she likes and give it to Henry and I’ll send you some ideas to choose from.”</p>
<p>“Amazing,” She grinned. “Thank you so much.”</p>
<p>I assured her it was no trouble as Freya pouted and shook her head at Henry.</p>
<p>“How unfair is it that you get to isolate with someone who can make you all the best desserts for two weeks? I’ll be all alone and I can barely heat up soup properly.”</p>
<p>The group chuckled at her dramatic exaggeration, but Henry wrinkled his nose.</p>
<p>“It’s a blessing and a curse,” He informed them. “Everything she makes is amazing, but I’m supposed to be getting back into shape which means I probably shouldn’t eat any of it.”</p>
<p>“She could always stay with me,” Joey suggested. “I’d be more than happy to spend the next two weeks doing nothing, but eating delicious baked goods.”</p>
<p>“We can send them to you in an Uber,” I joked. “I tend to bake a lot when I’m bored so there will probably be enough for everyone.”</p>
<p>“Hey now,” Lauren warned. “We won’t have time to completely resize everyone’s costumes before we start filming so unless you’re all going to step up your workouts as well, let’s keep the baked good consumption to a minimum.”</p>
<p>Henry chuckled as the rest of the group groaned in disappointment and I couldn’t help, but smile at the easy friendship between the cast. Henry had assured me that everyone, crew included, was very friendly, but they were welcoming in a way that made me feel very at home. We slipped into a conversation about how we all planned to pass the time over the next two weeks and how excited they all were to finally get back to work, but it wasn’t long until we were called for our tests.</p>
<p>It was less than pleasant, but not as bad as I expected. It made my eyes water and wasn’t something I was super thrilled about having to do twice a week for the foreseeable future, but seeing how Henry shined just being back on set and around his co-workers made it all worth it. It was clear this show was more than just a job for him and I was glad that I got to be here with him to see his joy.</p>
<p>As we walked back to Henry’s car, heading towards our two weeks of complete isolation, I felt an extra bounce in my step. Fourteen days trapped in a house with no one, but each other would be a challenge, but I was feeling very confident that we could handle it. The happiness that I felt seeing Henry’s excitement about getting back to work and the pride I saw on his face when his friends expressed their adoration of my baking talents. We were behind each other one hundred percent and I was hopeful that our isolation would only make us closer.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter Three</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>July. 29. 2020</b>
</p><p>I’d worried at first that the isolation would feel suffocating. The production company had said that we were allowed to go for walks as long as we stayed away from any people that we passed, but other than that we were to stay home. Except for the few adventures that Henry and I went on when we were in Jersey, that was pretty much my day to day life there as well, but there was something about knowing that you weren’t allowed to go anywhere even if you wanted to that made it seem more claustrophobic.</p><p>But we were really lucky.</p><p>The cottage they’d rented for us was adorable. It was cozy, but spacious with a lovely back garden and a little back patio. It had plenty of windows and natural light throughout the day so it really didn’t make me feel trapped at all. And even though it was only temporary, it was nice to have somewhere that felt like a home again.</p><p>My parents had made me as welcome as they possibly could, but there was always a disconnect. I didn’t have half of my things, my room was a guest room filled with furniture and decorations that they couldn’t find any other space for. It was homey, but it wasn’t <em>my </em>home. Whereas in our little cottage in the British countryside, we could make it our own. So that’s how we spent the first few days.</p><p>Henry set up the computer that he’d made and all his various screens and organized his games and the little trinkets he’d brought with him in one corner of the living room and I set up all my baking gear, thrilled to finally have all my gadgets and books back in one place. Our shared closet was full with each of us having a side and our toothbrushes sat next to each other in the bathroom.</p><p>It was temporary, but it was ours and it felt nice. Even Kal had settled right in, enjoying his morning romps around the garden and picking out his favourite sunny patch of the living room to sleep in.</p><p>Our first few days of quarantine had been quite lovely. We obviously spent a lot of time doing things together, but it was nice just being around each other as we did our own thing as well. Which is what was currently happening as Henry yelled into his headset while he played some game on his computer that I didn’t understand and I had my yoga mat spread out on the floor between him and the couch in the living room area.</p><p>I did a yoga flow for almost forty-five minutes, working up a bit of a sweat before cooling down in shavasana. After that, I decided to work on my handstands. I’d been watching lots of talented yoga people on Instagram throughout the lockdown and found myself inspired. I’d practiced a lot during my time on Jersey, mostly sticking close to the wall just in case I lost my balance, but eventually I’d gained enough confidence to attempt to do it by myself. I hadn’t had much success so far, but I was learning how to fall without hurting myself so I was taking that as a win and continuing to try.</p><p>During this particular session, I must have fallen at least nine times before I started to grow frustrated with myself. I was struggling to engage my abs and core while using just the right amount of momentum to get myself vertical. I was either not using my muscles enough and wobbling over or focusing on my abs too much that I’d push off the floor too hard and wouldn’t be able to catch myself before my feet went too far back.</p><p>I was determined though. I could tell I was right on the edge of getting it right and I wasn’t about to give up now. But my focus had clearly turned to tunnel vision as I flipped my legs up over my head only to feel someone’s hands grip onto my shins.</p><p>A small squeak of surprise fell from my lips and I lost all tension in my muscles. I would have toppled right over if the person wasn’t strong enough to hold me steady. Once the shock faded, I knew it couldn’t be anyone but Henry and a quick tilt of my head to see his feet confirmed my suspicions.</p><p>“Sorry,” I mumbled, my voice strained from the position I was in. “I didn’t see you walking past, I hope I didn’t kick you.”</p><p>“No, not at all,” He chuckled as he pushed my feet forwards so I could gracefully stand back up again. “I was distracted by your legs flailing all over the room so I thought I’d offer some assistance.”</p><p>I felt my cheeks heat up as I could imagine how attractive I must have looked crashing all over the room like a baby deer trying to walk for the first time.</p><p>“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to bother you,” I insisted. “But it’s too hot for me to practice outside today and this was the only space that seemed big enough for me to flail about without breaking something.”</p><p>“It’s fine,” Henry shrugged with a smirk. “It was a rather pleasant distraction if I’m being honest. I had a nice view while you were bending and contorting yourself into all sorts of positions, but now it seems you’re just tossing yourself around trying to break your own neck.”</p><p>I snorted a laugh at his description of my attempts.</p><p>“I’m trying to do a handstand,” I clarified. “And it’s a lot harder than it sounds.”</p><p>“I’ve never thought of handstands as something that sound particularly easy.” Henry raised an eyebrow. “But then I’ve never been one with much natural talent for gymnastics.”</p><p>“It looks easy when you watch people do it on Instagram,” I told him, letting my bottom lip pop out in a pout.</p><p>“Everything looks easier on Instagram than it actually is,” Henry pointed. “Most of those people have probably been training all their lives and then pretend it just came to them one day so they can feel special and better than everyone else.”</p><p>“I know,” I sighed. “But it’s doing my head in. I know all the theory of what to do and what not to do, but I just can’t get it right.”</p><p>“Well, would you like some help?” He asked. “I can’t give much advice, but I can be your spotter if that’s any use.”</p><p>“It might be,” I nodded. “Don’t hold me up, but maybe just stop me from going too far over so I can find my balance.”</p><p>Henry agreed and stepped back a bit to give me some space. The first few times I crashed against Henry like he was a wall, but I eventually managed to control myself until I was just gently pressing against the hands he held up to stop me and managed to pull away when I got my balance. I wanted to do it without touching him at all, but my arms and shoulders were starting to ache from the constant pressure on them so, with another pout, I called it a day.</p><p>“You’re improving,” Henry reminded me. “That’s what you need to focus on, not what you can’t do.”</p><p>“I know,” I groaned. “But it’s hard being so close and just not being able to get it quite right.”</p><p>“You’ll get there,” Henry assured me with a smile. “You’re a lot stronger than you look.”</p><p>I laughed at that comment and nodded my head.</p><p>“All my muscle is hidden under a thin layer of chub.”</p><p>“That’s not what I meant,” Henry rolled his eyes. “There’s barely any fat on you.”</p><p>“That’s just because I’ve had lots of time to do yoga and hike around Jersey during in lockdown,” I pointed out. “It’s quite hard to stay in shape as a baker if I’m being honest.”</p><p>“I would imagine that’s very true,” Henry chuckled before his eyes lit up with an idea. “You should workout with me sometime.”</p><p>“Yeah, okay,” I scoffed with a raised eyebrow. “As if I wouldn’t get absolutely crushed to death by the weights that you lift.”</p><p>“You wouldn’t be lifting the weights that I lift,” Henry clarified with a laugh. “But we could workout together. I’ve learned quite a bit about sculpting my body over the years and I could help you make a plan if you want to tone up a bit.”</p><p>It was a tempting offer as I had seemed to plateau a bit as far as visible muscle goes. I was getting stronger in some ways with yoga and my ability to do the harder poses was definitely improving, but my muscle strength had seemed to reach it’s peak. I did have some hesitations though.</p><p>“I don’t know anything about machines in the gym,” I confessed. “And I wouldn’t want to be at a gym right now anyway. I’ve heard indoor exercise is one of the biggest covid spreaders and most gyms don’t have the level of ventilation they need.”</p><p>“The production company already thought of that,” Henry smiled. “They rented all the equipment that we’d need and set up a room in the studio area where we choreograph and rehearse all the fight scenes. There’d be no covid contamination and I could show you how to use everything if that’s what you’re nervous about.”</p><p>“Hmmm,” I smiled, moving close enough to wrap my arms around the back of his neck. “I’ll think about it.”</p><p>Henry nodded and leaned down to kiss me softly before pulling back.</p><p>“We’d have fun,” He assured me with a smile. “But now, I have to go call Simon. It’s Amelia’s birthday so we’re doing a family video chat for her since she can’t have a party.”</p><p>“Oh, I forgot about that!” I gasped, feeling my heart sink a bit. “I promised her I’d make her a fairy cake!”</p><p>“You promised her you’d make her one <em>if</em> we were all still on Jersey and we are not.”</p><p>“Still,” I sighed. “I could have made one before we left or something. I hope she’s not upset.”</p><p>“She probably doesn’t even remember,” Henry shrugged. It was possible, but if Molly was anything to go by then a promise about a birthday cake was not one that was quickly forgotten, but there was nothing I could do about it now. “Would you like to join us? It would be my entire family though so there’s no pressure.”</p><p>I thought about it for a moment, but eventually shook my head.</p><p>“I really want to meet all your brothers, even if it is on a video chat, but I think meeting them all at once like that would be a bit overwhelming.”</p><p>“That’s absolutely fine,” Henry smiled before pressing another soft kiss against my lips. “I won’t be long, it’ll only be an hour at the most. What would you like to do this evening?”</p><p>“Nothing too crazy,” I shrugged. “Maybe we could just watch a movie?”</p><p>A twinkle appeared in Henry’s eye as he nodded his head at that suggestion.</p><p>“Sounds perfect to me,” He agreed. “How about Lord of the Rings? I haven’t watched it in ages and it seems like a good quarantine activity.”</p><p>“Lord of the Rings?” I wrinkled my nose. “I’ve never seen it…”</p><p>Henry’s eyes widened and his body stiffened as he pulled back a bit further from my embrace.</p><p>“What?!” He asked, clearly shocked by my statement. “Are you serious?”</p><p>“I told you, fantasy stuff isn’t really my thing.”</p><p>“It’s a classic!” Henry protested. “We have to watch it. You have to see it.”</p><p>“Alright,” I shrugged. “I don’t mind giving it a try.”</p><p>“Good.”</p><p>Henry shook his head at me and I smiled at the sight. He was so passionate about the things he loved and it made me willing to give anything a try and do my best to see what he saw in it. I stretched up to give him one last kiss before moving away and stretching out my back.</p><p>“I’m going to take a shower while you talk to your family and then I’ll start dinner,” I told him. “Say hi to your family for me?”</p><p>“Of course,” Henry smiled, stepping off my yoga mat so I could roll it up before heading off to ease my strained muscles under a hot shower.</p><p>****</p><p>A few hours later, after Henry was done with his family and we’d finished our dinner, we settled in front of the telly. Henry was fiddling with the remotes to get his extended edition blu-ray copies of the movies all lined up while I poured my bag of Haribo Tangfastics into a bowl.</p><p>“Would you like one?” I offered the bowl to Henry once he’d got the movie all set up before pulling it back quickly. “Wait, just don’t take the cherry ones!”</p><p>I pushed the bowl back towards him and he chuckled as he plucked a cola bottle form the pile.</p><p>“Are the cherries your favourite?”</p><p>“They are,” I smiled. “I always save them for last.”</p><p>“Good to know.”</p><p>Henry popped the candy in his mouth and leaned back, turning up the volume before putting the remote down and leaning back, lifting his arm onto the back of the couch so I could cuddle in. I did and sat, munching on my candy, through the entire opening monologue. It was intense and beautifully shot, but once we were in the shire with Frodo, my questions started.</p><p>“How did they make the hobbits look so small?”</p><p>“Why don’t the hobbits wear shoes?”</p><p>“Should we have watched the Hobbit before this? Will I be confused?”</p><p>“Why is the ring <em>so </em>important if it just makes you invisible?”</p><p>I pestered Henry with questions which he politely but bluntly answered, but by the time Frodo had set off on his quest, I was engrossed. It had me hooked. I felt my heart racing as they were chased by the Black Rider towards Bucklebury ferry, I felt the fear and tension when Gandalf wasn’t at the Prancing Pony and Frodo used the ring when Pippin blew their cover, my heart was in my throat as the Black Riders knocked down the gate and stabbed the pillows thinking they’d been caught and I held my breath as Arwen carried Frodo away from Weathertop after he’d been stabbed.</p><p>Henry grinned proudly every time my eyes widened with surprise and a gasp left my lips, but while I’d originally thought I’d have to feign interest to appease him, I quickly realized that I’d been missing out on a great series of movies. By the time we got to the incident at the Mines of Moria, I was a mess. Frantically scrambling for the remote, I paused the movie and turned to Henry with tears in my eyes.</p><p>“I don’t care if it’s a spoiler,” I sniffled. “Please tell me that the wizard man isn’t actually dead or I refuse to watch any more of this silly movie.”</p><p>Henry chuckled and shook his head.</p><p>“No, I don’t want to ruin the suspense. Just put it back on and you’ll see what happens.”</p><p>“I’ll just Google it on my phone,” I threatened. “I need to know before we continue.”</p><p>Henry looked amused and torn, but after a moment of thought I think he realized that I was serious.</p><p>“He comes back,” He admitted. “But that’s the last thing I’m telling you.”</p><p>I shot him a suspicious glare, concerned by his words.</p><p>“Is there more things coming up that I won’t like then?”</p><p>“They’re long and complicated movies,” Henry smirked. “There’s a lot of good and bad things still to come.”</p><p>“How many more is there?”</p><p>“There’s two more movies,” He informed me. “But the total run time is almost twelve hours so we might have to save some for another day.”</p><p>“Or not,” I shrugged. “What else have we got to do? We’re not allowed outside for the next ten days anyway.”</p><p>“That’s true,” Henry laughed. “Are you sure you don’t like fantasy? You liked the Witcher and you seem pretty enthralled by this.”</p><p>“It’s not that I don’t like it,” I insisted. “I just haven’t really watched much of it. But this? This is good.”</p><p>Henry kissed the top of my head as I reached for the remote before snuggling back down and leaning my head against Henry’s chest. We watched the rest of the movie and I was ready and eager to keep going. Henry watched me with an amused smile and reminded me that it was already almost midnight, but I was ready for that and pointed out again that we had no plans for the next ten days so it didn’t matter if we stayed up all night. Henry shrugged and relented, but I’d already drifted off by the time he’d set up the second movie so, after some halfhearted protests, I let him carry me up to bed with the promise of spending the next day curled up on the couch watching the other two movies.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter Three and a Half</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I often get asked to do some things from Henry’s point of view so I thought this would be a fun little extra to add in. Please read chapter three first though or you may be a tad confused! Also, as I think I've said before, I don’t know everything about Henry’s family. I used names I’ve seen tossed around, but if I’m wrong, just go with it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <b>June. 29. 2020</b>
</p>
<p>After Brooke had gone upstairs to shower, Henry grabbed himself a bottle of rosemary water from the fridge and called his brother to see what the plan was for Amelia’s birthday chat. It was pretty straight forward. He would send Henry a link to a Zoom chat and everyone would join within the next fifteen to twenty minutes and let him know when they were ready. Then Simon would join with his family and Amelia to surprise her. It seemed easy enough so Henry settled in, made sure Kal was content and wouldn’t damage everyone’s ears with any loud barking and clicked the link.</p>
<p>The chat popped up, but he quickly realized that he was only the second one to join as the only people already waiting were his brother Charlie and his wife, Heather.</p>
<p>“Henry!”</p>
<p>They cheered enthusiastically making a smile instantly appear on his face.</p>
<p>“Charlie, Heather, it’s lovely to see you,” He greeted them. “Is it just the two of you?”</p>
<p>“It is,” Charlie nodded. “It’s already eleven o'clock here so the kids are all tucked up in bed.”</p>
<p>“Ah, yes, I forgot about the time difference,” Henry told them before taking a sip of his water. “So, how are you both? How’s lockdown going over there?”</p>
<p>“It’s not so bad right now,” Heather informed him. “Things have eased up and opened up quite a bit which is a relief. It was getting tough being cooped up with the kids all day.”</p>
<p>“I can imagine,” Henry smiled. “It was bad enough with Simon’s lot on Jersey and there’s only three of them and they’re younger than some of yours.”</p>
<p>“To be fair, the older ones weren’t as bad,” Simon shrugged. “We could explain it more to them and they have more ways to stay in touch with their friends. It’s the little ones with their boundless energy that were the challenge.”</p>
<p>“The energy level of kids is amazing,” Henry agreed. “After they had cake on my birthday, I swear they ran around for hours without even pausing to catch their breath. My head was spinning by the time they finally crashed.”</p>
<p>Charlie chuckled at the thought, but nodded as he knew the feeling well.</p>
<p>“My head is spinning every night these days.”</p>
<p>“But speaking of your birthday cake,” Heather segued, a grin on her face. “Where’s Brooke? We were hoping to meet her!”</p>
<p>Henry smiled at his sister-in-law’s enthusiasm.</p>
<p>“She’s in the shower. She just finished a long yoga workout.”</p>
<p>“Will she be joining us after?” Charlie asked. “We’ve heard so much about her, it would be great to finally get to have a chat.”</p>
<p>Before Henry could answer, there was a loud ping and the faces of his brother Piers and his wife, Charlotte, popped up with their two sons hovering in the background. Everyone cheered and greeted each other, happy to see each other’s faces again after so long apart, but Charlie quickly steered the conversation back to Henry’s love life.</p>
<p>“We were just asking if we’ll get to meet Brooke today,” He told his oldest brother.</p>
<p>“Oh?” Piers grinned. “And do we?”</p>
<p>“I don’t think so,” Henry smiled, wrinkling his nose. “It’s a bit intimidating meeting the whole gang and doing it like this, where it’s hard to see and hear everyone just seemed like it would be a bit cruel.”</p>
<p>The women nodded, having been through the ordeal of meeting the entire Cavill family themselves, but his brothers rolled their eyes and voiced their protests.</p>
<p>“We’re hardly intimidating,” Charlie denied. “We’re a very welcoming and friendly bunch!”</p>
<p>“We are!” Piers agreed. “And this whole situation might go on for ages, she can’t avoid us forever.”</p>
<p>There was another ping as he spoke and Niki and his wife, Victoria, appeared.</p>
<p>“Who’s avoiding us?” Niki grinned once everyone had greeted the couple.</p>
<p>“Brooke is,” Piers teased, knowing it would wind Henry up. “Apparently she’s scared to meet us.”</p>
<p>“That’s not what I said!” Henry protested as expected. “To be honest, I didn’t really push the idea because I thought it seemed mean. She wants to meet all of you and I’d be happy for us to organize one on one video chats. We have plenty of time over the next week since we’re isolating in preparation for filming to start again.”</p>
<p>“Oh, that’s right!” Victoria nodded. “You have to quarantine. How’s that going? Is it hard since you haven’t been together long?”</p>
<p>“Not really,” Henry shrugged. “It’s been quite relaxing. We enjoy each other’s company, but we know when to give each other space. It’s only been four days though, she might have killed me by the time it’s over.”</p>
<p>As he probably should have predicted, his brothers then proceeded to list all his bad qualities and annoying habits that could drive her away until they were thankfully told to be nice or be quiet by their wives. As irritating as it was to be the one that everyone was picking on, Henry couldn’t help but smile at the sound of his family all being together again. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed it, but it was heartwarming to see everyone’s faces.</p>
<p>Just as all the teasing wound down, his parents joined the chat. The massive grin on his mother’s face at the sight of her sons made Henry’s heart warm even more. However, after the initial greeting, she turned her focus to Henry and he held back a groan.</p>
<p>“Henry, where’s Brooke?” She asked. “You haven’t scared her off already, have you?”</p>
<p>His brother’s roared with laughter as he shook his head.</p>
<p>“No, I haven’t. She’s just busy.”</p>
<p>“Busy?” His dad asked. “How can she be busy when you’re not allowed to leave the house?”</p>
<p>“She’s scared to meet us apparently,” Niki teased making Henry roll his eyes.</p>
<p>“She’s not scared,” He repeated. “I just didn’t think it would be fair to make her meet everyone all at once over a video chat. It seemed intimidating.”</p>
<p>“Oh, that makes sense,” Marianne nodded. “I didn’t think she’d be the type to be scared that easily. Honestly, boys, she’s lovely. Absolutely wonderful. Her mother and I always thought they’d make a good pair, but they were both always off on their own little adventures so it slipped our minds until they found each other all by themselves.”</p>
<p>Henry was intrigued by the thought of their parents planning to play matchmaker, but was relieved that they’d never actually attempted it. He knew that he would have been much more reluctant to give her a chance if he’d been pressured into doing so by his mother and he knew that Brooke would probably have reacted the same way. However, knowing that his mother approved so whole heartedly of his girlfriend made Henry very happy. He loved his mother and respected her opinion more than anyone else and the few times that she had been less than impressed with his choice of partner, it hadn’t ended well. Not necessarily because her opinion swayed him, but she seemed to have some kind of sixth sense when it came to partners for her children and her lack of approval tended to mean that the relationship was doomed. So, hearing that she had hoped to be able to set him up with Brooke anyway was a relief.</p>
<p>He was eager to talk about something other than his love life though so after letting his mum fill them in a little bit about Brooke, he changed the subject to a recent accomplishment of one of his many nephews and let him have the spotlight for a bit. That didn’t last long though as Simon and his crew joined the chat and after a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday, the attention stayed on the giddy little three year old for the rest of the conversation.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter Four</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>August. 4. 2020</b>
</p><p>I woke up and stretched only to be instantly disappointed by the cold bed next to me. As I rubbed my eyes and slowly shook off the sleep, I had a vague memory of Henry tucking the blankets back around me as he crept out from under them and encouraged me to get some more sleep, but I had been so barely awake at the time that it felt like a dream. His empty spot told me that it wasn’t though and I was alone to contemplate the day.</p><p>August 4th 2020.</p><p>My thirty first birthday.</p><p>Last year had been a hard one for me. Turning thirty just after losing my best friend while painfully single. I’d spend the day by myself, feeling old and alone despite the desperate pleas of Cassie to let them take me out and make it a special day. I hadn’t felt much like I deserved that in my grief. I felt like my life was going no where and that I’d let one of the people I loved most in the world down by not stopping her from making the choices that led to her death. Hitting an age milestone like thirty with hardly anything to show for it just felt like pouring salt in the wound.</p><p>But this year was different.</p><p>I felt hopeful. I felt like, despite my failed business venture, the future was bright. Maybe I wouldn’t have the amazing bakery that I’d always dreamed off, but I had a few other ideas brewing and I was no longer painfully single, I was sickeningly in love. That was the part that seemed to make the most difference. I didn’t really care what I did with my life anymore. Of course, I wanted to accomplish things and be successful, but what mattered more was doing it all with Henry by my side.</p><p>Because of that, I didn’t care about my age. I didn’t feel old and like I’d wasted my life. The years that stretched ahead of me were vast and full of potential and I was grateful that I’d found someone who reminded me of that.</p><p>So, with one last stretch, I grabbed my phone to check the time before going down to find the man that I was so smitten with, but a message notification caught my eye.</p><p><b>Henry:</b> Good morning, birthday girl! I hope you’ve had a nice little lie in. Come down stairs whenever you’re ready 💗</p><p>I smiled at his efforts to let me get some extra sleep, but I was feeling rested now so I dragged myself out of bed and headed downstairs. As I walked down the stairs, I was hit by a familiar smell, but not one that I was used to smelling as I woke up. Someone had been baking. Fueled by curiosity, I picked up my pace as I bounded into the kitchen.</p><p>“Happy birthday!” Henry cheered before blowing the little party horn he’d picked up from the table. “I made you a cake!”</p><p>He was smiling so proudly and my heart melted at the sight of the red velvet cake on the table. It might not have been as impressive as the cake that I made for him on his birthday, but it had been a very long time since anyone had attempted to make me a cake. I think everyone always assumed I wouldn’t appreciate it or could do a better job myself as a professional baker, but it was so lovely to see someone go to the effort of returning the favour.</p><p>“Oh, Henry, I love it,” I grinned. “That’s amazing, honestly. Thank you so much!”</p><p>I hurried around the table to give him a hug and a kiss as he chuckled.</p><p>“Don’t thank me yet,” He warned. “It might not taste any better than it looks.”</p><p>“It looks great,” I insisted. “How long ago did you get up?”</p><p>“Only about two hours ago,” he shrugged. “I didn’t really let it cool enough because I was worried you’d wake up before it was finished. I think that’s why the icing is a bit runny…”</p><p>“That’ll do it,” I nodded. “But seriously, it looks amazing. No ones made me a cake in years.”</p><p>“Well I’ll admit, it’s an intimidating endeavour,” Henry smiled. “Your standards are so high, my attempt pales in comparison to anything you’d create.”</p><p>“It looks delicious,” I repeated, hoping to ease his concerns. “But would you be terribly offended if I waited until after I had some breakfast before I tried it?”</p><p>“Not at all,” Henry chuckled. “There’s coffee in the pot.”</p><p>“Great,” I pressed a quick kiss to his lips before leaving his side in search of some food.</p><p>****</p><p>As I expected, the cake was delicious and the look of happiness on Henry’s face when he saw that I genuinely enjoyed it was the best birthday present I could have asked for. However, Henry disagreed and he had an entire day of little treats planned for me, but it wasn’t until after dinner (which of course he’d made) that he pulled out my real present.</p><p>It was a long thin jewellery box so I had a feeling about what to expect, but when I opened it, I was absolutely shocked.</p><p>“Henry, oh my gosh, is this the necklace we saw on Jersey?”</p><p>We’d been window shopping one day not long before he’d told me that he had to return to England and it had caught my eye. It was a beautiful heart shaped ruby on a silver chain. It was gorgeous, but as soon as I spotted the price tag I laughed and pulled Henry away, knowing that it would never be something I could afford.</p><p>“It is,” Henry smiled. “Do you like it?”</p><p>“I love it!” I assured him. “But it was <em>so</em> expensive…”</p><p>Henry shrugged.</p><p>“Doesn’t matter.”</p><p>“When did you even buy it?”</p><p>“I went back the weekend before we came home,” He told me. “When we weren’t speaking. I was going to give it to you as a parting gift, but when you agreed to come, I figured I’d just save it for your birthday.”</p><p>“A much better occasion for a gift like this,” I laughed. “Thank you so much, Henry. Will you help me put it on?”</p><p>Henry nodded and delicately picked the necklace up as I turned around. He draped it around my neck and quickly clasped it before placing a gently kiss against my skin.</p><p>I turned to face him, reaching up to touch the stone resting against my collarbone.</p><p>“How does it look?”</p><p>“Amazing,” Henry grinned. “But I would have been hard pressed to find something that wouldn’t look amazing on you.”</p><p>I rolled my eyes, but stretched up to place a kiss on his lips.</p><p>“Thank you, it’s a lovely gift.”</p><p>“I’m glad you like it,” He placed his forehead against mine as his hands settled on my hips. “I have one more present for you.”</p><p>“Really?” I asked, my surprise clear. “You’ve done so much already…”</p><p>“I know, but I think you’ll like this one.”</p><p>“I’ve liked everything,” I pointed out.</p><p>“Fair, but this one is special,” He insisted. “Come to the kitchen.”</p><p>I relented and followed him and saw a massive bottle of tequila on the counter next to a bottle of margarita mix.</p><p>“What’s this?”</p><p>I looked up at Henry curiously only to be met with a grin and a shrug.</p><p>“You mentioned once that it was a tradition on your birthday for you and Lola to ‘drink yourselves silly’ on homemade margaritas so I thought we could honour that tradition tonight,” He explained. “I’ve never made margaritas before, but I’m a fast learner.”</p><p>I felt tears prick my eyes at the thought of him remembering such a detail and caring enough to try and incorporate it into our little celebration, but I quickly blinked them back and cleared my throat.</p><p>“Well, you’ll be learning from the best,” I informed him, a cheeky grin on my face as I pushed up my sleeves and walked towards the counter where he’d laid out the supplies. “I hope you know what you’ve gotten yourself into.”</p><p>“Oh, I can imagine,” Henry chuckled. “So, what do we need first?”</p><p>****</p><p>
  
</p><p>A few hours, several homemade frozen margaritas and one wild tequila fueled dance party later, I found myself sitting on the floor, leaning my back against the couch, next to Henry as I was practically doubled over laughing. Henry watched me with an amused smirk before sipping the drink in his hand and shaking his head.</p><p>“I’m glad you find my suffering and humiliation so hysterical!”</p><p>“I’m sorry!” I gasped for breath, trying to pull myself together. “But there’s no way that you expect me to believe that actually happened to you!”</p><p>“It did,” Henry insisted through a laugh of his own. “I locked myself out of my hotel room completely naked and had to…relieve myself off the roof!”</p><p>As he summarized the story he just told me, my laughter bubbled over again as I imagined it.</p><p>“Oh my god,” I choked out. “That must have been horrifying. For you and the poor people walking by on the street below.”</p><p>“I know,” Henry groaned, cringing at my words. “I was so desperate that I didn’t even think about it, but I just hope that it was late enough that no one was walking by at the time.”</p><p>“But really? Sleep walking? I’ve slept next to you enough times to know that’s not something you do very often.”</p><p>“I wasn’t sleep walking,” He clarified. “I was awake, but just barely. And I was jet lagged and disoriented from the unfamiliar room so I just mistook the door to the hallway as the door to the bathroom.”</p><p>More giggles erupted from me as he chuckled along.</p><p>“I’m surprised there isn’t surveillance footage all over the internet of this though.”</p><p>“It was taken care of,” He smirked. “Thanks to a very charming assistant and a hefty bribe. The footage was thoroughly destroyed.”</p><p>“That’s <em>such </em>a shame,” I pouted playfully as I sipped my drink. “I would have loved to see it.”</p><p>“Again, I’m so pleased that my misfortune is so amusing for you,” He shook his head. “Anyway, you must have some juicy, embarrassing stories from your past. I’ve heard enough about what you and Lola were like to know there must be some unseemly tales to tell.”</p><p>“Not really,” I lied with a shrug and a smirk. “Nothing that comes to mind.”</p><p>Henry eyed me suspiciously, clearly seeing straight through me.</p><p>“I don’t believe you at all.”</p><p>“Hmm, let me think.” I wracked my brain for a story to tell that wouldn’t be completely humiliating, but was as good as the one he shared and after a moment it hit me. “Oh, well there was the one time that I almost got arrested for impersonating a foreign dignitary.”</p><p>Henry stared at me for a moment, his eyes widened with surprise before he burst out laughing.</p><p>“Are you serious?” He asked once he’d got himself under control. “Why were you doing that?”</p><p>“Just for a laugh,” I giggled. “Lola talked me into it. I don’t even remember what the event was, but we’d just come home from our studies in France so my French was alright. I pretended to be a French ambassador and Lola was my interpreter." </p><p>"And they just took your word for it? Security weren’t bothered?”</p><p>“It’s easy to get anywhere with enough confidence,” I shrugged. “No one really questioned us much at all.”</p><p>“So, how did you get caught?”</p><p>“My French was alright, but not great. Most of my vocabulary was bakery and pastry related so I was just talking nonsense and Lola was making it all up when she translated it to English. It didn’t take that long until someone who actually spoke French caught on and we were escorted out by security,” I explained with a smile. “Luckily, Lola managed to charm them. They threatened to call the police, but ended up just letting us off with a stern warning not to attempt something like that again.”</p><p>“Wow,” Henry chuckled. “I had no idea that you had such a criminal history.”</p><p>“No one does. Not even Cassie, I was too scared she’d tell my parents and while they’re pretty laid back, I thought that might have crossed a line,” I giggled. “Lola was always getting me into situations like that though. She was a lot of fun.”</p><p>“She sounds like it,” He nodded before tossing back the last of his drink.</p><p>I smiled before following his example and finishing my drink as well. Once I’d put my glass on the coffee table in front of us, I leaned back, cuddling into Henry’s side.</p><p>“Thank you for today, Henry. I didn’t think it would be much of a special birthday this year given the circumstances, but I’ve had a really lovely day.”</p><p>“I’m glad,” Henry smiled as he kissed the top of my head.</p><p>“And this necklace is beautiful. Such a thoughtful gift. I owe you big time since all I got you was a cake.”</p><p>“Hmm, I don’t think so,” Henry mused as he pushed his back off the couch and shifted so he was hovering above me. “A beautiful girl like you deserves a necklace like this. It looks amazing on you.”</p><p>“It’s gorgeous, it would look amazing on anyone.”</p><p>“Not true,” Henry protested, dipping his head down to kiss my chest right next to where the necklace rested. “It looks so good because you look so good.”</p><p>I smiled at his compliment as he traced kisses over my collarbone, leaning back and enjoying the sensation. The giggles and energy from the tequila had faded into a mellow kind of intoxication with just the slight bellyache from our laughter left to remind us of the high we’d felt moments ago. Henry’s kisses were sloppy, but still sent shivers down my spine. I let my hands drift up to tangle into his curls as his lips found my earlobe, nipping slightly before he spoke.</p><p>“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” His voice was low and husky. “You have the most beautiful eyes.” He placed a kiss on my temple. “An adorable nose.” He placed a kiss on the tip of nose. “And irresistible lips.”</p><p>I was already under his spell, but the kiss sealed the deal. It was slow and gentle, but passionate all the same. I felt my body arch up against his as I dug my fingers into his shoulder blade while he scraped his teeth across my bottom lip before tipping his head to deepen the kiss. His tongue slid against my own as he pressed against me with a sudden desperation, like he couldn’t stand there to be any space between us.</p><p>But, in typical Henry fashion, he pulled out some of his admirable self-control and pulled away taking a whine from my lips with him. My obvious displeasure just put a smile on his face though as he placed soft kisses against my jaw and back down my neck. Pushing the sleeve of my loose shirt off my shoulder, he nipped at the newly exposed skin before following my bra strap down, pushing my shirt lower and lower until he reached the middle of my chest.</p><p>“And these,” He breathed out, his hot breath causing goosebumps to rise on my skin. “I could spend hours talking about how much I love your tits.”</p><p>The rather coarse word mixed with his romantic sentiment brought a smile to my face, but I didn’t have time to comment as Henry continued his narration.</p><p>“They’re possibly the most perfect pair I’ve ever seen,” He kissed along the edge of the cup of my bra before pushing it down slightly to expose my hardened nipple. “And your nipples, just the right size and so sensitive.”</p><p>As if to illustrate his point, Henry took it in his mouth, pulling a gasp from my lips. He licked and sucked until I was squirming beneath him before ending the performance with a nip that earned a moan from me. He glanced up at me with a smirk, clearly pleased with his efforts so far as he slid his hands under my shirt to pull it out of the way completely. Once that was gone, he pulled me against his chest so his hands could slip behind me and unhook my bra as well. With my top half was entirely exposed, I was hoping that he would go back to where he was moments ago, but Henry had other ideas. He started back between my breasts, but instead of paying any attention to them, he continued his trail of kisses down over my stomach.</p><p>I watched, relishing the feeling of his warm mouth against my skin as he reached the top of my sweatpants and wasted no time pulling them down and taking my underwear with them. I was now completely naked as I leaned against our couch with Henry, still fully dressed, between my legs. There was something I loved about being in that situation. Something about knowing he was so focused on me that he didn’t even bother to undress himself. It reminded me again what a selfless lover he was and how <em>very </em>grateful I was to have him.</p><p>I was pulled quickly out of my thoughts of appreciation by his mouth making contact with my most sensitive place. I gasped at the sensation, thrusting my hips up towards him as my hands shot down to grab his hair and I felt his breath as his chuckled.</p><p>“Now, now,” He warned. “Relax.”</p><p>Hardly an easy thing to do with all the anticipation of knowing the pleasure he was about to bring me, but I let my hips fall back where they were and, after shooting me a wink, Henry returned back to his work.</p><p>He starts with a few gentle kisses just around the edge before dipping his tongue right between my lips. I let my head fall back against the couch as my breath hitched in my throat, but Henry gave me no time to gather myself. He quickly found that particular little spot that was practically throbbing with need for his attention and placed a soft kiss right on my clit before pressing against it with his tongue, flicking it slightly before rubbing it with soft strokes.</p><p>I couldn’t help, but move my hips to the rhythm, but Henry’s hands quickly looped around my thighs to hold me still, his thumbs gently rubbing against my skin to add to the sensations that were already overwhelming me.</p><p>He was focused and determined and I could quickly already feel a peak building inside me. I tugged at his hair. An ambiguous signal. Warning of the impending explosion or perhaps encouragement, my brain was too distracted to really know which, but it seemed to get the job done and spur Henry on. He increased the pressure of his tongue, switching from his previous circular motions to a more direct approach and the results were overwhelming. It took only a few more enthusiastic strokes before my back arched up towards Henry, my grip tightened even more in his hair and a shout of his name fell from my lips.</p><p>He guided me through it, keeping his tongue stiff against me at first, but easing the pressure perfectly as I came down from the high he had caused. Once my muscles had relaxed and my breathing was returning to normal, he pulled his head back before looking up at me with a cheeky grin on his face.</p><p>“Happy birthday.”</p><p>I giggled at his words, shaking my head as I tried to push the orgasm daze from my brain.</p><p>“I must admit, as much as I love the necklace, that was probably my favourite gift of the day.”</p><p>“Hmm, well that’s good to know,” Henry mused as he slowly pushed himself off the floor and moved to sit next to me again. “And lucky for you because that’s a present that you can have anytime you’d like.”</p><p>“That’s a relief,” I smiled. “I’d be very disappointed if I only got to experience that once a year.”</p><p>“Trust me, I’d be disappointed too.”</p><p>I looked up at him, sleepy now from the post-orgasm glow and the tequila wearing off. </p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“Absolutely,” Henry nodded. “I possibly enjoy it even more than you do.”</p><p>“I highly doubt that,” I scoffed despite the flicker in my heart at his enthusiasm.</p><p>Henry simply shrugged in response and I rested my head against his shoulder again, letting a moment of quiet settle around us before I spoke again.</p><p>“I love you, Hen.”</p><p>My words were soft, but the sincerity behind them hung in the air between us. Every time the words left my mouth, I meant them even more than I had the time before and after today my love for him was burning me up inside so much I thought I might burst.</p><p>“I love you too, Brooke,” He answered, kissing the top of my head again.</p><p>“I know,” I smiled, letting my hand drop down to rub slowly up his thigh towards the bulge that was still clear in his pants. “But why don’t you take me upstairs and remind me in another way?”</p><p>I looked up at him after I spoke and his eyes flashed dark with arousal at my words. Without a second thought, Henry sprung into action and leapt up from the floor before bending down to scoop me up and throw me over his shoulder. I probably would have felt uncomfortable or embarrassed being carried in such a way while completely naked if I was with anyone else, but with Henry there were no protests as he ran up the stairs to our bedroom, just my laughter bouncing off the walls.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I’m so sorry this took so long to post! I had a rough couple of weeks emotionally and found it hard to find inspiration to write. Hopefully I’ll be back to my regular posting schedule now though and have another chapter ready by next weekend.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter Five</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>August. 8. 2020</b>
</p><p>For the most part, our quarantine was going amazingly well. There was some concern going into it that since we hadn’t been together for very long, two weeks of uninterrupted quality time together would be way too much too soon, but for the most part it seemed to be the opposite. It was almost like a little honeymoon for us. We settled into our own little rhythm and I was quite enjoying the domesticity.</p><p>We had small disagreements here and there, but we hadn’t argued anywhere near as much as I had imagined that we would. But that all seemed to change just four days before the end of our quarantine, on the Saturday before Henry went back to work.</p><p>Henry had been up late playing a video game online with his brother in Canada and while I went to bed at a reasonable time, he woke me up when he finally crawled into bed at almost three in the morning. After that, I couldn’t fall asleep again so I kept us both up for about an hour and a half as I tossed and turned until I finally gave up and got out of bed. Henry probably fell asleep quite quickly once my movements stopped disturbing him, but he didn’t sleep for long either as he stumbled downstairs looking bleary eyed around eight o'clock.</p><p>Both of us were tired and quiet and even though nothing had happened there was a slight tension in the air as we both went about our mornings, feeling grumpy from the sleep deprivation. I knew that I was feeling irritable so I did my best to try and soothe myself and stop feeling so wound up, but I just couldn’t shake it and it all boiled over as I was trying to clean up after lunch.</p><p>I opened the dishwasher and, despite it being just as much my responsibility as it was Henry’s, I was irritated from the start to see that it was full and clean, but hadn’t been emptied. I put my plate on the counter and, rather crossly, started taking things out, but as soon as I went for the cutlery, I was stabbed by a rather sharp knife that had been put in with the handle towards the bottom and the dangerous part towards the top.</p><p>“Fuck!” I cursed, pulling my hand back and inspecting it for damage, feeling my annoyance emboldened by the pain I was feeling. “Henry, I’ve told you about this so many times!”</p><p>The flash of sympathy on his face at my initial yelp of pain quickly shifted into irritation.</p><p>“Told me about what?”</p><p>“Putting the cutlery in the dishwasher the wrong way!” I explained. “You left a knife sticking right up and now I’ve cut myself!”</p><p>I grabbed a paper towel to cover the cut and stop the blood from getting anywhere. It wasn’t a deep wound, but I didn’t want to make a mess and I felt it had more of a guilt-inducing dramatic effect.</p><p>“You don’t need to speak to me like that,” Henry scolded, picking up his own dirty lunch dishes before coming around the island counter to where I was standing. “I didn’t mean for you to get hurt, did I?”</p><p>“Maybe not, but you clearly didn’t care that much about preventing it since I’ve asked you almost every day to be careful how you load the dishwasher.”</p><p>Henry shrugged as he put his plates next to mine on the counter.</p><p>“I just didn’t think it mattered that much…”</p><p>“Well, it didn’t. Until I got stabbed.”</p><p>My tone was harsh and bratty, but it came out before I could stop it and I was so cranky that I really didn’t care. I was clearly testing Henry’s patience though as he sighed, a scowl on his face.</p><p>“I would hardly say that you’ve been stabbed,” He argued. “I’m sorry that you’re hurt, but maybe it has less to do with how I load the dishwasher and more to do with your own carelessness.”</p><p>Now it was my turn to scowl as I shot him a dirty look and wordlessly turned my attention back to the task I was doing. I fully intended to silently sulk as I worked, but as I pulled out a dish that was still filthy because of how it had been shoved in behind another plate, I lost my temper again.</p><p>“See, Henry, this is ridiculous!” I complained. “You just throw everything in however you want and nothing actually gets clean. You have to leave space between the plates or they stick together and the water can’t get through.”</p><p>“I didn’t do it on purpose,” Henry protested as I roughly put the dirty plate in the sink and went back to unloading. “No one will die if we have to wash one dish again, I don’t know why you’re being so horrible about this.”</p><p>“I’m not being horrible! I’m frustrated that I’ve told you about this a thousand times and you won’t listen,” I insisted. “But maybe my patience for your irritating habits would be higher today if you hadn’t woken me up so bloody early this morning!”</p><p>“Oh, so that’s what this is about,” Henry groaned. “You’re mad that I was up so late playing video games with my brother.”</p><p>I stopped my unloading again and spun to face him.</p><p>“That is not what I said,” I told him firmly. “I don’t care that you were up late and I certainly don’t care that it was because you were playing video games with your brother. I don’t even care that you woke me up, but since you did and I only had about four hours sleep because of it, that might explain my lack of patience with you now!”</p><p>“You definitely cared,” Henry insisted with a roll of his eyes. “You huffed and tossed yourself around for ages before you finally stormed off.”</p><p>“I was tossing and turning just because I couldn’t sleep,” I argued. “And I didn’t <em>storm off</em>, I got out of bed because I knew I was disturbing you and I was trying to be nice.”</p><p>“You stormed off,” Henry repeated bluntly. “Which is why I felt the need to get up so early despite not managing to fall asleep myself until a very unreasonable time.”</p><p>“I didn’t storm off,” I insisted. “And I didn’t ask you to get up before you were ready to. If you’re so tired because of me then maybe you should take a nap since you’re acting like a child.”</p><p>Henry barked out a laugh despite the irritation written all over his face.</p><p>“I’m acting like a child? You just accused me of stabbing you because I loaded the dishwasher wrong!”</p><p>“I said that I got stabbed, not that you physically stabbed me,” I clarified. “You’re deliberately misunderstanding everything I say.”</p><p>“It’s not hard to misunderstand when the things you’re saying are so ridiculous,” Henry rolled his eyes. “Maybe you’re the one who needs a nap since you’re in such a foul mood.”</p><p>“I’m not in a foul-” I felt a flash of anger as I snapped at him, but stopped myself as I realized this argument wasn’t getting anywhere. “Okay, whatever. I <em>will</em> go take a nap.”</p><p>My plan was to just step back from the situation and get some space from Henry until we could both calm down, but clearly we weren’t on the same page.</p><p>“Okay,” Henry shrugged. “I’ll join you.”</p><p>I glared at him for a moment before I spoke again.</p><p>“I’ll nap on the couch then.”</p><p>“Seriously?” He asked, but when I held my glare, he sighed. “I’ll take the couch then if you’re going to be like that.”</p><p>“No, Henry, you’re three times the size of me,” I pointed out. “You won’t be comfortable on the couch.”</p><p>“Then we can share the bed.”</p><p>“No,” I insisted. “I’ll take the couch.”</p><p>Henry rolled his eyes and turned to walk out of the room. My shoulders fell with relief as I assumed that he was letting the argument drop, but as I followed him out of the kitchen I saw him grabbing himself a blanket as he headed towards the couch.</p><p>“Henry, seriously. You are not napping on that couch.”</p><p>“I disturbed your sleep last night,” Henry reminded me. “I’m not going to ruin your nap as well.”</p><p>“Well, apparently I disturbed your sleep too so maybe I don’t want to ruin your nap now either.”</p><p>He ignored me as he lifted the blanket in the air and went to drape it over the couch, but in my frustration, I grabbed the end of it before it could fall. I tugged it roughly and Henry’s surprise was written all over his face when it slipped from his grasp.</p><p>“Just go upstairs if you want to nap,” I demanded, tucking the blanket under my arm.</p><p>Henry was feeling just as feisty as I was though and he shook his head as he reached out and grabbed the corner that was hanging down. He tugged on it just like I had, but I was prepared and managed to hold on before it could slide away completely.</p><p>“Why are you being so difficult?” Henry growled through clenched teeth. “Let go of the blanket.”</p><p>“No,” I snapped back. “You let go.”</p><p>We stood there like children, jerking the blanket back and forth, but realistically, I was no match for Henry. After a few minutes of pulling and bickering, he lost his patience and pulled on the blanket with much more strength than he’d been using so far. My grip on the blanket was tight though so instead of it flying out of my hands like he had intended, my entire body went with it as I crashed against him with a yelp.</p><p>“Shit,” Henry mumbled as he caught me in his arms. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.”</p><p>“I know, it’s okay,” I assured him as I found my footing again.</p><p>All of a sudden, as I looked up at him, with the blanket dropped around our feet, the ridiculousness of the entire situation hit me and a giggle slipped from my lips. I quickly covered my mouth, not wanting to irritate Henry even more by laughing if he was still angry, but I noticed his lips twitch into a smile as well. Moments later our laughter bubbled over as I rested my head against his chest and he wrapped his arms around me.</p><p>“That was the silliest argument we’ve ever had,” I giggled as we fought to get ourselves under control. “I’m sorry I was being so harsh on you.”</p><p>“I’m sorry that I was as well,” Henry chuckled. “And I’m sorry that I never take the time to load the dishwasher carefully. Is your hand okay?”</p><p>I looked down at the wound that started this whole mess to see that there was barely even a scratch to show for it.</p><p>“It’s fine,” I admitted. “It hardly even hurt, it surprised me more than anything. I shouldn’t have made such a big deal about it.”</p><p>“And I shouldn’t leave knives sticking up in a way that could hurt someone.”</p><p>I giggled again, picturing how insane we must have looked trying to pull a blanket out of each other’s hands and shook my head at the image.</p><p>“I think I really do need a nap,” I confessed. “Even though, I really didn’t ‘storm off’ this morning when I got out of bed, I was just trying to be respectful because I knew I was disturbing you.”</p><p>“I know,” Henry groaned. “I don’t know why I said that.”</p><p>“And I don’t know why I made it sound like you’d stabbed me. God, if anyone heard that they’d think we were insane.”</p><p>“I think plenty of people have had arguments just like that over these last few months,” Henry pointed out with a chuckle. “With everything going on in the world, being in such close quarters with someone for an extended period of time makes even the little things feel big sometimes.”</p><p>“Well, it all feels ridiculous now.”</p><p>“It does,” He agreed with a smile. “But how about we have that nap, together in our comfortable bed, and forget this ever happened?”</p><p>“That sounds like a very good idea.”</p><p>I smiled and stretched up to place a kiss on his lips before taking his hand in mine and leading him up the stairs to our bedroom.</p>
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